Articles Posted in Miscellaneous

Nashville trial lawyer John T. Conners, Jr. died yesterday in his home in West Meade.  He would have turned 90 in March 2010.    He was a name-partner at Boult Cummings Conners & Berry in Nashville and practiced law over 50 years.. 

To say that John Conners was an excellent lawyer is an understatement.   He was a living legend in the Bar at the time I was admitted in 1981 and joined his firm.  He remains a legend to this day.

I believe the key to Mr. Conners’ success in the courtroom was his preparation.  He left no stone unturned.  He did not sit in his office and practice law – he investigated his own cases and was unafraid to get his shoes dirty.  He prepared hours and hours for every deposition.  He would write out his opening statements and closing arguments three, four, or five times, revising and improving it each time.  And then he would deliver it – from memory – flawlessly.  His directs and crosses were done the same way – revision after revision after revision – and then conducted from memory.   He dominated the courtroom.  

Last week I filed a post on the new members of the Judicial Selection Commission.  Today, the appointees to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission were announced.

The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, which replaces the Judicial Evaluation Commission, evaluates the performance of the appellate level judges who are up for re-election. Prior to the election, the commission will complete a thorough review of each judge’s performance and make a recommendation to either retain or replace each judge. These recommendations are placed in newspapers throughout the state to inform voters prior to the election.

The appointees:

The American Conservative Union, the nation’s oldest conservative lobbying organization, has firmly held core beliefs.  Those core beliefs are apparently for sale to the highest bidder, even if the highest bidder is on the opposite side of the issue than the other potential bidder.

Credibility free-fall.